Wire-reel



,(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. L. SHOTWELL & J. BRIMS WIRE REEL.

N0. 603,796. Patented May 10,1898.

Wifxyzsszs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELI L. SHOTWELL AND JAMES BRIMS, OF DAVID CITY, NEBRASKA.

WIRE-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,796, dated May 10,1898.

Application filed May 17,1897. Serial 110336.979. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. we, ELI L. SHOTWELL and JAMES BRIMs,citizens of theUnited States, residing at David City, in the county of Butler and Stateof Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Wire-Reel, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to wire-reels particularly adapted for handlingbarbed wire, such as that used for wire fences and in connection withcheck-row planters and the object in view is to provide a'simple,inexpensive, and efficient reeling apparatus adapted to be carried by avehicle, such as an ordinary farnr wagon, and capable of distributingwire from the spool as it is shipped from the factory and also forcollecting or reeling old wire after the period of its use has expired;to provide means for guiding wire to the spool and distributing itevenly over the surface thereof, irrespective of the angle at which thewire approaches the reel; to provide simple and efficient means wherebyspools may be interchanged, thus adapting the machine for unreeling froma factory-spool, and, furthermore, to provide a simple and efficienttension device whereby the tension at which the wire is reeled upon aspool or at which it is stretched when it is unreeled may be regulatedto suit the requirements and conditions of use.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reelingapparatusconstructed in accordance with our invention applied in the operativeposition to a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same,showing the means whereby it is attached to the wagonbody. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section in the plane of the tension device. Fig. 4 is adetail sectional view of the'guide-pulley. Fig. 5 is a detail sectionalview of a portion of the base or support to show the guide for thepivotal supporting-arm and the adjustable stops at the ends of saidguide.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a support or base, which preferably consists of a plankadapted to be secured to the body of a vehicle, preferably to thefootboards 2 thereof, by means of bolts or equivalent devices, andsupported by this base are standards 3 and 4, the latter of which isprovided in its foot or horizontal portion with slots 5, parallel withthe length of the base and engaged by bolts 6, whereby the standard maybe removed from the base for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The standards are provided with alined bearings 7, in which is mounted aspool-spindle 8, adapted to receive a spool 9 of the ordinaryconstruction or such as those usually employed in factories for reelingwire. The spool is loosely mounted upon the spindle and is adapted to beremoved therefrom when the removable standard 4 is detached from thebase, thus providing for replacing the spools as their contents are usedor as they become filled, according to whether the device is op eratingto collect or distribute wire.

Carried by one arm of the reel is 'a projec: tion or block 10, adaptedto be engaged by a stop on the spindle, whereby rotary motion of thespindle may be imparted to the spool. In the construction illustratedthis stop consists of a tension-brake having cooperating members 11,which are bolted together at one end and are provided with registeringconcaved faces 12 to bear frictionally against the surface of thespindle. tremities of these brake or clutch members are connected by abolt 13, provided with a thumb-nut 14 and a tension-spring 15,interposed between the thumb-nut and the contiguous member. It isobvious that by tightening the thumb-nut the tension of the spring maybe increased, and hence frictional contact of the clutch-faces upon thespindle may be correspondingly increased to offer the desiredresistance'to the rotation of the spool independently of the spindle.

The means which we prefer for imparting rotary motion to the spindleinclude a sprocket-pinion 16 on one end of the spindle contiguous to thestandard 3 and a chain 17 traversing said pinion, and a sprocket-wheel18, which is secured to one of the rear wheels of the vehicle, therelative size of the sprocketwheels being such that the speed ofrotation of the spindle is multiplied and is greater or The oppositeexis adapted to take up wire more quickly than the vehicle is moving,thus maintaining the spool at all times under tension regulated by thefriction brake or clutch above described.

In connection with the above-described mechanism, which, as aboveindicated, is adapted for either reeling or unreeling wire, we employguiding devices consisting of a spring-arm 19, preferably of springmetal or yielding material pivotally mounted upon the under side of thebase and extending through a limiting-guide 20, also secured to theunder surface of the base, and a guide-pulley 21, supported by theextremity of said arm. In the construction illustrated this guide-pulleyis mounted upon a pulley-frame 22 bymeans of a spindle 23, and thepulley-frame is swiveled, by means of a pivot-bolt 24, upon theextremity of the arm 19.

The ends of the guide 20 are closed by adjustable stops 25, providedwith slots 26, engaged by the bolts 27 by which the extremities of theguide are secured to the base. By loosening said bolts the stop-blocksmay be adjusted longitudinally of the guide to vary the extent ofmovement of the pivotal arm 19 to suit the length of the spool uponwhich the wire is being reeled. The movement of the pulley-carrying armis adapted to be accomplished manually, as by means of a handlever 28,mounted upon an extension of the standard 3 and connected with the arm19 by means of a link 29.

The swiveled mounting of the guide-pulley provides for the efficientoperation of the reeling apparatus, even when the vehicle upon which itis carried is driven at a distance of ten or twelve feet from the lineof the wire which is being collected, the swiveled frame turning to suitthe direction in which the wireapproaches the spool. Furthermore, theconstruction of the parts is such that a wire provided with a pluralityof splices and uneven portions can be readily collected and distributedproperly upon the spool.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a wire reelingand distributing apparatus,the combination with a revolublespoolspindle, and means for operating the same, of a radially-armed stoprevolubly fitted upon the spindle and having adjustable clutchfaces forfrictionally engaging the surface of the spindle, adjusting devices forthe clutchfaces, and a spool removably and revolubly fitted upon thespindle and provided with a terminal projection extending in a directionparallel with the spindle and engaging the grilled stop exteriorly,substantially as speci- 2. In a wire-reeling apparatus, the' combinationwith a spool and means for imparting rotary motion thereto, of guidingdevices consisting of a pivotal arm of elastic or yielding constructionadapted at its free end for yielding movement in a plane perpendicularto the axis of the spool, and a guide-pulley carried by the free end ofsaid arm and adapted to be traversed by a wire approaching the spool,whereby excessive strain upon the wire causes movement of theguide-pulley in a plane transverse to the axis of the spool,substantially as specified.

3. In-a wire-reeling apparatus, the combination with a spool and meansfor imparting rotary motion thereto, of guiding devices having a movablearm constructed to yield in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thespool, a guide-pulley, and a swiveled frame 22 carried by the extremityof said arm and supporting the pulley for yielding movement,substantially as specified.

4. In a wire-reeling apparatus, the combination with a base, fixed andmovable standards mounted upon the base and supporting a spool-spindle,means for securing the movable standard at the desired adjustment, toexpose the desired length of spool-spindle, and a spool removably fittedupon the spindle, of guiding devices including a pivotal yielding armmounted upon the base, a guidepulley supported by said arm, andadjustable stops arranged in the path of said arm, to limit its swingingmovement to correspond with the length of the spool supported by thespindle, substantially as specified.

5. In a wire-reeling apparatus, the combination with a base, fixed andmovable standards mounted upon the base and supporting a spool-spindle,means for securing the movable standard at the desired adjustment, toexpose the desired length of spool-spindle, and a spool removably fittedupon the spindle, of guiding devices, including a pivotal yielding armsupporting a swiveled guidepulley, a guide in which said arm operatescontiguous to its pivot-point, stop-blocks arranged in said guide in thepath of the arm and provided with longitudinal slots, bolts engagingsaid slots and adapted when tightened to secure the blocks at thedesired ad justment, and thereby limit the swinging movement of the armto suit the length of the spool, and means, including a hand-lever,pivotally mounted upon the fixed standard, for communicating oscillatorymovement to said arm, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ELI L. SHOTWELL. JAMES BRIMS.

Witnesses;

W. I. RUNYoN, E. S. RUNYoN.

